Our topic this week is about whether it is advisable to allow students to use Wikipedia.org as a resource. As an English teacher, I have always stressed to my students the unreliability of using Wikipedia, especially when conducting research for a formal paper to be cited and handed in for a grade. This makes me something of a wiki-hypocrite, because any time I need to look up information on a topic, Wikipedia is my fist stop. Is this a case of "Do as I say, not as I do?" Will I allow my students to use Wikipedia in their research, even though I love the site for my own informal research purposes? Most likely, I will not. My reasoning for refusing this site as a source is twofold. First, Wikipedia is wonderfully informative, but, as we have all heard/read/been beaten in the face with a gazillion times, the site can be altered and information can be incomplete and/or incorrect. More importantly, many of my high school students lack the judgement and/or discretion to take their Wikipedia info with a grain of salt. I can read a Wikipedia article and glean insight from it without blindly accepting its thoroughness, correctness, and validity. Many high school students, however, find it hard to observe boundaries with the information provided. Second (and most importantly) I know that the vast majority of college professors frown upon the use of Wikipedia as a source, some so much so that many a paper citing Wikipedia is docked a high percentage of points or thrown out altogether. There is nothing constructive in introducing or condoning a behavior that will result in confusion or frustration for these students later on. That said, I have read several blogs that suggest using Wikipedia as a starting point for more in-depth research, and I agree that, when closely monitored, that can be a great idea. A problem I have run into, however, is that the occasional student will use Wikipedia for basically the entire assignment, then throw in some random citations to make the work look more legit. In these instances, I hate Wikipedia, just because it does make itself so tempting...but I suppose that sort of problem is bound to crop up from time to time, no matter how much you warn the students not to do it. Maybe we need a high school class that focuses on teaching children to use technology for good instead of evil.....
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Week 1 - Please allow me to introduce myself....
Blogging, eh? Okay, I can live with that. Actually, I have often planned/hoped/threatened to start a blog, so perhaps this is the little "push" I need to really get going. Thanks, Dr. McMillin! To get right down to business, I will tell everyone a little bit about myself, although I must warn you, I am painfully uninteresting. I am 32 years old, and I have lived my entire life in the bustling metropolis of Brewton, Alabama. While Brewton proper is about as boring a place as one can imagine, the location is nice, in that it is within an hour's driving distance of several interesting locations, like Pensacola, Navarre, Mobile, Spanish Fort, and Montgomery. The reason I stay in Brewton, even though it is not my favorite place, is because it is small and quiet, making it a nice place to bring up my three children. I have two boys, Addison and Bayden, and one daughter, Fynne. It doesn't hurt that my family home is here, and cost of living is low.
I have loved literature and language for as long as I can remember, so it seemed only natural that I would major in English literature in college. I earned my Bachelor's degree in English from Auburn University Montgomery in 2003. It was never, ever in my plans to teach school. That said, I have no idea what I planned to do with a degree in English, so when a friend referred me to a principal in desperate need of an English teacher, I thought, "Why not?" I was hired for my first teaching job the same day I graduated from college. Initially, I only planned to teach for a short while. I am now in my 10th year in the classroom. Funny how things work out, huh? My husband of 13 years, Jeremy, also graduated from AUM and also had no intention of teaching. He is in his 9th year of teaching. Go figure.
When it became clear that teaching was more of a career than a stepping stone, I went back to school and got my Master's degree in teaching English (M.A.T.) from UWA. Now, I am taking a couple of classes so I can get my class "A" certification and get started on my Ed.S.. The school at which I teach generously covers tuition for teachers continuing graduate and postgraduate study, so I guess my husband and I will continue working on our educations forever, since a sick, sad part of us really loves taking classes.
Outside of the classroom, which consumes most of my life, and my family, which consumes the rest of it, I have little time for hobbies and such. I will list a few random facts about me and my passtimes, just to help you get a better idea about me, if you want one.
I have loved literature and language for as long as I can remember, so it seemed only natural that I would major in English literature in college. I earned my Bachelor's degree in English from Auburn University Montgomery in 2003. It was never, ever in my plans to teach school. That said, I have no idea what I planned to do with a degree in English, so when a friend referred me to a principal in desperate need of an English teacher, I thought, "Why not?" I was hired for my first teaching job the same day I graduated from college. Initially, I only planned to teach for a short while. I am now in my 10th year in the classroom. Funny how things work out, huh? My husband of 13 years, Jeremy, also graduated from AUM and also had no intention of teaching. He is in his 9th year of teaching. Go figure.
When it became clear that teaching was more of a career than a stepping stone, I went back to school and got my Master's degree in teaching English (M.A.T.) from UWA. Now, I am taking a couple of classes so I can get my class "A" certification and get started on my Ed.S.. The school at which I teach generously covers tuition for teachers continuing graduate and postgraduate study, so I guess my husband and I will continue working on our educations forever, since a sick, sad part of us really loves taking classes.
Outside of the classroom, which consumes most of my life, and my family, which consumes the rest of it, I have little time for hobbies and such. I will list a few random facts about me and my passtimes, just to help you get a better idea about me, if you want one.
- I enjoy playing the guitar, though I am not that good at it.
- I have traded many a night's sleep for the satisfaction of finishing a great book. Books trump sleep....most of the time.
- I love hard rock (did you catch the Rolling Stones reference in my post title? Did you??) and alternative music, Disney World, Broadway musicals, and virtually all movies, even sappy dramatic ones.
- I am afraid of flying. I never fly. Ever.
- I love Steve Carrell.
- I would give most anything to own a sloth. They are so stinkin' cute!
- My best friend is a Spanish teacher who works across the hall from me. She sort of coparents my children and shares my Disney World addiction, so most of the time, when we go, we go together. With my husband and kids. She is single, but she accompanies me and my family most everywhere, and some of my kids look more like her than me, so most people probably think we are polygamists.
- We think the polygamist thing is funny, so we don't try to dispute it.
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